If you’re seeking the best of eating around a campfire without actually having to leave your house, meet your new favorite recipe for baked beans! This one is loaded with rich, sweet, and smoky undertones that almost conjure up dessert-time, but they fare beautifully when paired with hot dogs, ribs, burgers or simply on their own. And they’re so easy to make, you may just start camping out in your kitchen, although this does make for a fabulous dish in an RV kitchen without heating it up! The secret is infusing the beans under pressure with Better Than Bouillon Ham Base.
This post was sponsored by Better Than Bouillon/Summit Hill Foods.
Making Broth with Better Than Bouillon
Pressure Cooking The Beans
Sautéing The Bacon
Sautéing The Onion
Making The Sauce
Combining It All
The Taste Test
Watch The Video!
Instant Pot Utimate Baked Beans
If you're seeking the best of eating around a campfire without actually having to leave your house, meet your new favorite recipe for baked beans! This one is loaded with rich, sweet undertones that almost conjure up dessert-time, but they fare beautifully when paired with hot dogs, ribs, burgers or simply on their own. And they're so easy to make, you may just start camping out in your kitchen, although this does make for a fabulous dish in an RV kitchen without heating it up!
Ingredients
- 1 pound bag dried pinto beans, rinsed
- 8 cups ham broth (8 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Ham Base + 8 cups water)
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) salted butter
- 1 pound thick-cut bacon, sliced into bite-size pieces
- 1 large sweet or yellow onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup barbecue sauce
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (optional)
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard powder (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice or ground cinnamon (either is fine)
Instructions
- Optional: If you want very soft beans, place them in a large bowl, cover with the ham broth, place the lid on top and allow to soak on the counter for 8 hours. If you don't mind a bean with more of a bite to it and want to cut down on the soaking wait time, you can skip this and immediately begin with Step 2.
- Place the rinsed beans along with the broth in the Instant Pot (regardless if you did Step 1 or not). Secure the lid, move the valve to the sealing position, and hit Pressure Cook or Manual at High Pressure for 25 minutes. When done, allow a 25-minute natural release followed by a quick release (NOTE: If the pin drops before the 25-minute natural release is done, still let it sit the full 25 minutes). Hit Cancel to turn the pot off.
- With oven mitts, remove the liner pot and pour the ham base-infused beans into a colander, draining them. Rinse and set aside. Return the liner pot to the Instant Pot - no need to clean it.
- Add the butter to the pot, hit Sauté and Adjust so it's on the More or High setting. Once melted, add the bacon and sauté, stirring occaisionally, until it's that perfect blend of crispy with a little chew to it, about 10-12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, place the cooked bacon in a paper towel-lined bowl, reserving the bacon juice in the pot. Set the bacon aside and cools, it will continue to crisp.
- Add the onion to the pot and sauté in the bacon grease for about 5 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and scrape up any caked-on bacon grease.
- With the exception of the cooked beans and bacon, add all the remaining ingredients to the pot and stir until fully combined. Hit Cancel to turn the pot off.
- Return the beans and bacon to the pot and stir until fully coated in the sauce. Serve with any barbecue or campfire-themed dish such as my, Ribs, Burgers, or Hot Dogs!
Jeffrey's Tips
Want to keep it vegetarian? Skip the bacon and just cook the onion in the butter. And use Better Than Bouillon Roasted Garlic or Vegetable base instead of Ham base.
Judi
Hi, Jeffrey.
Love your videos & recipes!
Just curious about the beans. Can dried Lima or navy beans be substituted for the pinto?
Thanks
Jeffrey
Very different beans and cook times, but sure!
LJE
What would the timing be for dried navy beans?
Terri
OMG! Made these tonight. I used Chicken BTB. I couldn’t find ham. They were the bomb! Bet they’ll even taste better tomorrow! Thanks for the wonderful recipes.
Jeffrey
So glad you tried and enjoyed!
Michelle Drozd
Can you double this recipe?
Michelle Drozd
Can this recipe be doubled?
Jeffrey
Sure! But add another 15 minutes of pressure cook time.
Joseph Hubbell
I just tried this recipe yesterday July 1st: the beans came out perfect, and they were the best baked beans I’ve ever tasted. Well done again, Jeffrey. BTW, I recently brought your Blue Ribbon Chili to our annual neighborhood picnic and it disappeared quickly! One neighbor said “I haven’t tasted chili this good since Ukrops was cooking chili.” In Richmond, Virginia, you can’t get higher praise than that!!
Marcia
Hint for those that love Jeffrey’s carnitas – I used some of my left over broth as part of my 8 cups of liquid. Added great flavor.
Jeffrey
Love this!
Kathy Haworth
I want to double this recipe. you say increase time, do I double the broth????
Jeffrey
Add an additional half amount of broth
Kim
Can I use ham instead of bacon
Jeffrey
Of course!